Mid November Harry Redknapp inherited a Queens Park Rangers team that was rock bottom of the Premier League and in a real relegation battle. Since his appointment, QPR have picked up 10 points from 9 games which includes their first Premier League victory of the season and a shock win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We are currently two weeks into the January transfer window and it is the first opportunity for Harry Redknapp to make some changes and put his stamp on the team.
There have been two minor departures so far which see Ryan Nelsen leave to become the new manager of Toronto FC and Keiron Dyer being released. There still remain a number of players in the squad that weren’t part of the previous manager’s plans and will most likely not be part of Harry’s plans either. These are the likes of DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd who have both returned from their loan spells at Championship clubs. It is quite apparent to everyone that QPR are paying substantial wages for some of their players that are having little or no effect on their campaign so far. It is likely that Harry will consider any reasonable offers that he receives for his players and he will be keen to shift out the deadwood and bring in players that he believes will do a job.
It has been reported that Harry Redknapp is targeting a triple signing of Peter Odemwingie, Yann M’Vila and Jake Livermore. Odemwingie, 31, did not play in West Brom’s 3-2 defeat to Reading recently and Redknapp has made it clear he wants to sign the Nigerian striker. West Brom have apparently rejected a bid from QPR worth around £2m and they have also made it clear they have no plans to sell any of their senior players. After 0-0 draw with his former club Tottenham at the weekend, Harry flew out to watch Rennes where M’Vila was his target. Redknapp admitted he tried to sign M’Vila during his time at Tottenham but said that it is harder to attract players when you are bottom of the league. The last of Redknapp’s targets is Jake Livermore, the midfielder has struggled for first team action at Spurs under Andre Villas-Boas and so Redknapp has indicated he wants to take him on loan. No doubt the R’s boss will be happy if he captures these three players without breaking the bank.
The next fixture for QPR is their FA Cup 3rd round replay against West Brom after a stalemate at Loftus Road. Most managers would admit that replays are unwanted in an already hectic fixture schedule but Harry’s team must travel to the Midlands for this fixture to settle this tie. It will be interesting to see if Odemwingie plays for the Baggies with QPR chasing his signature. Following this, a short trip across London to Upton Park awaits for the weekend fixture and just 3 days later QPR will host Champions Manchester City midweek. No game is easy in the Premier League, especially when you are bottom of the table and with sixteen games left, it’s going to go right down to the wire once again.
